Miliband and Salmond might want to think twice before suggesting giving younger people the vote

24 Oct 2012

Ruth Porter writes for The Daily Telegraph

Alex Salmond may come to rue the day he talked David Cameron into giving 16 and 17 year olds a say.

16 and 17 year olds make up such a small proportion of the Scottish population, whether they vote on independence will be of little consequence. But it will undoubtedly open the door for discussion about whether the voting age should be lowered in other elections, despite Mr Cameron’s rejection of the idea.

It is no coincidence that Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg are both so supportive of giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote. Mr Salmond and those on the left who generally support a more expansive state and greater redistribution tend to assume this will help deliver electoral success for them, but young people may be more sensible than they are given credit for.